Page 96 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

 © Zmaj. Apoxyomenos statue found in the Adriatic Sea in 1999. Zadar Museum, Croatia.
The identification and dating of the Croatian Apoxymenos statue illustrates the importance of the study of historical evidence.
On the basis of the historical information and the archaeological context, this Croatian Apoxyomenos statue is likely to be a copy dating from the 4th century BC. It is presumed that it does come from a shipwreck that occurred between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD. Roman period life-sized bronze statues are very rare, about
20 have been recovered, and there are only a few original works. Copies are much more frequently done in stone, hence the significance of the bronze Croatian Apoxyomenos.The best known Apoxyomenos was made by Lysippos in the late 4th century BC.The manufacture
of statues of athletes is most often associated with victory at the Olympic games, and they were a votive gift to a god, and an expression of the pride and glory the winner brought to his city. Apoxyomenos has also been depicted on grave stele, reliefs, gemmas and statuettes.The Croatian Apoxyomenos is very similar to the one kept in Vienna, which was believed to have been an original, and which was found in 1896.
needs to critically reflect all the information obtained. Any information discovered in the course of archival research should be supported by confirmatory evidence from additional sources.
In background research for activities directed at underwater cultural heritage, the key information of any document consulted needs to be recorded in order to ensure traceability and comprehensibility of the research undertaken: title, author and place of publication, or the reference number, together with page or folio number. Records should be safely stored and copies made. Upon completion of the project, all information gathered during background research should be integrated into the project archives.
Archaeological and
environmental characteristics
Rule 15 specifies further that preliminary assessment shall include background studies of archaeological and environmental characteristics of the site. The assessment of the archaeological characteristics has already been discussed in the context of the evaluation of significance under Rule 14. Background studies on the environmental characteristics of a site primarily refer to those environmental factors that are relevant to an interpretation of site formation processes, stability and degradation. Such study needs to take a wider area as its focus and will typically concern evaluative study of:
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Preliminary work